For the past 20 years the Bear has become an established part of many professional, university and high
school training programs throughout the U.S. It has
proven to be the most effective tool ever designed for
developing maximum power (vertical jump) and explosiveness in the athlete.
Maximizes vertical jump
Developes the power potential
Athletes experience astounding drops in 40 times
Quickness & muscular endurance greatly increased
Eliminates the safety concerns created by bar squats
Used advantageously by every major sport

â&#x20AC;&#x153;I see the Bear as the king of the lower body exercise and
the finest tool for squatting on the market today.â&#x20AC;?
Mike Woicik, Strength Coach, New England Patriots

12 to 15 cleans are explosively performed in 20 seconds without undue stress
on the lower back. The hands are positioned behind the knees thus the hips
are brought into proper alignment with the shoulders. This position safely
channels the weight load into the power center of the athlete. Because of this
unique function the athlete experiences both the positive and negative resistance of the clean.

The Attacker Radiates power from the feet out the
hands in a rep per second exercise. The hips uncoil
into a full hand separation. Football coaches will tell
you the Attacker simulates the line of play like no other
machine. The Attacker has a sports specific carry
over to the field.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;The combination training of the Attacker and the Dominator is
building the most dominant lineman I have ever coached.â&#x20AC;?
Ed Stanley, Meridian H.S., Meridian, MS.

The Dominator develops all the major muscles in the
upper and lower torsos including the connectors and
stabilizers in the hip area. The Dominator Radiates
Power from your feet up through your hands in one
continuous line. In this explosive torque and turn exercise
your athletes will dominate on the field of play.

College coaches love the information high school combines provide, but worry
about the recruiting demands they create. Instead of just talking about the
problem, coaches are joining together to accentuate the positive and eliminate
the negative.

NUTRITION

Food For Thought

.......................................

31

By teaching team members what to eat and when, coaches can ensure that
players always have the energy they need.

STRENGTH & CONDITIONING

Stretching To Score

...................................

39

Players need all the flexibility and core strength they can muster. These partner
core stretches can help them develop both during warmup sessions.

LOCKER ROOM BULLETIN BOARD
Taking Aim At
Spearing
Dale Patton, Head Coach at
Pekin (Ill.) High School, calls it
the most important 60 minutes of the year. It’s a meeting
the night before the team’s
first preseason practice, and
it’s significant because he and
his staff present players their
first of many warnings about
the dangers of spearing.
“In a loud, almost demandingtype voice, we say, ‘If you do

attention during the 2005 college and high school season,
which is likely to continue in
2006. To encourage officials to
be more vigilant in calling
spearing penalties, the NCAA
removed the “intent” clause
from its rule prohibiting headdown tackling, and the National
Federation of State High School
Associations says it will look
into making the same change.
Shortly after the end of the
2004 season, the National Athletic Trainers’ Association and
American Football Coaches

to discern intent in the heat of
play. The task force met with
the NCAA Football Rules
Committee, which removed
intent from the rule.
Rule enforcement is only part
of a multi-pronged approach
to ending this dangerous
practice. Much of the focus is
on teaching proper technique.
The AFCA also reiterated that
allowing spearing is unethical
coaching behavior.
A major part of the initiative is
explaining why spearing is so

between the suddenly stationary head and still-moving body
in a tackle. Dangerous compressive forces can result. Laboratory tests have shown that
a fracture or dislocation of the
neck can occur with less than
150 foot-pounds of energy,
while a college-age player can
inflict 1,500 foot-pounds.
According to the NCAA, defensive players are four times
more likely to suffer catastrophic cervical-spine injuries than
offensive players. Thus the
emphasis on proper tackling—
though offensive players should
also be taught to avoid putting their heads down as they’re
about to be tackled. First contact, on offense or defense,
should be made with the shoulder while the head is up.
Even at the top level of college
play, coaches can’t assume that
players know and practice
proper technique, so it’s emphasized from day one. “When
we bring freshmen in, we tell
them, ‘Keep your head up,’”
says Kyle Whittingham, Head
Coach at the University of
Utah and a veteran defensive
coordinator. “We don’t assume
they understand proper tackling technique and safety.”

4

COACHING MANAGEMENT

AP/WIDE WORLD PHOTOS

With his players, Patton acknowledges that head-down
play has been part of the
game, but says it’s because
coaches years ago didn’t know
In an effort to reduce the number of helmet-to-helmet hits, such as one that left Georgia’s Reggie
better. “We tell our players,
Brown motionless on the field for several minutes in 2004, the NCAA revised its spearing rule before
‘See what you block, and see
what you tackle.’ If you do
the 2005 season. Officials no longer have to determine intent before calling a spearing penalty.
that, you’re likely not to have
any problems,” he says. “And
dangerous to players on both
Association (AFCA) formed a
this, there’s a strong possibilwhen we get kids who, whethsides of the ball. The task
task force to examine headity that you will die,’” Patton
er by accident or by design,
force and NCAA sent a locker
says. “We don’t hedge around down contact and found
do lead with the head—even if
room poster to all member
spearing penalties are rarely
it. The freshmen’s eyes get
the referees in a game don’t
football teams reminding playdoled out. Game officials told
really wide when their head
catch it—we call the kids in
ers to keep their heads up.
coach puts it in those terms. It the task force that the rule
and tell them they’re going to
The NCAA developed a Powdefining spearing as the
really hits home.”
be suspended if they do it
erPoint presentation outlining
“intentional use of the helmet
again. We talk to their parents,
the mechanism behind serious
(including the face mask) in an
Spearing—and the related
and we point it out on film.
neck injuries: When the head
attempt to punish the oppotechniques of butt blocking
I’ve got a young man this year
is pointed down, the neck is
nent” made the call difficult to
and taking a hit with the helwho did it last year, and if he
make because it required them straightened and caught
met down—received special
does it again, he’s
going to be disThe NCAA’s presentation on head-down tackling and blocking and proper technique can be downloaded
missed from the
from the NCAA Web site at: www1.ncaa.org/membership/ed_outreach/health-safety/index.html.
team.”

Circle No. 102

LOCKER ROOM BULLETIN BOARD
Camping Out
In The Gym
By the time the 5 a.m. wakeup call made its way around
the Therrell High School gym
in Atlanta, first-year Head
Coach Terry Davis had already
been up for 30 minutes. After
all, he had to let in the parent
and community volunteers
who cooked breakfast before
he could rouse his team from
its school-bound slumber. The
early rising team went on a
two-mile jog to the local mall
and back, showered, had a
hot breakfast, and was out on
the practice field by 7 a.m.
The morning session was followed by another volunteerprepared meal at lunchtime.
Depending on the day, team
meetings and weightlifting
sessions, or maybe a quick
nap, filled the early afternoons.
A second practice took place
in late afternoon, followed by
dinner and a team meeting.
There was some free time
throughout the day, but lights
were out by 11 p.m.
The Therrell football team followed this routine for one
week, turning a regular preseason camp into sleepover
camp. With the exception of
their early-morning jogs, the
team never left school property, sleeping on mattresses
brought from home and set up
on the gym floor. Davis and his
assistant coaches slept in the
gym as well—Davis either in
the middle of the floor or in
the doorway. “That way I
could keep watch, and if anybody wanted in or out, they
had to step over me,” he says.
During Davis’ first coaching
job in 1983 as an assistant at
Adel (Ga.) High School, he
participated in a sleepover
camp put together by the
head coach. Davis has done
the same thing at every school
he’s coached at since. “Anywhere I work, until I coach at
the college level, we’ll do this
in the school gym,” says
Davis. “It gives the team a

6

COACHING MANAGEMENT

real sense of community and
discipline. Plus we were able
to get in 24 sessions in one
week.

Longhorns Vmag
Provides Inside
Look For Fans

“We did double and triple
sessions, and had meetings in
between and at night,” he
continues. “The guys get into
a routine—then team-building
happens faster, and a whole
lot of important information is
conveyed quicker.”

Would you allow video cameras
at all of your practices, in the
weightroom during strength
training sessions, and even
into the locker room before
games and during halftime?

through Texas’ football Web
site. In five hour-long issues of
the video magazine (the first
of which is free), subscribers
can watch the Texas football
program from an insider’s
point of view. Features include
a day with quarterback Vince
Young, tours of Brown’s office
and summer retreat, and
training sessions with Strength

Going into Davis’ first year at
Therrell, he knew things had
to change for the team to be
successful. “We were coming
off a 2-8 season, and I knew I
had to do something,” he
says. “And the players really
bought into it, since they knew
they weren’t going home.
Because they knew they were
going to be here all night,
there was no need to hurry
up, no ‘five more minutes to
get this done.’”
Before holding the camp,
Davis was required to submit
management and emergency
plans to the principal. “Luckily,
the fire station is only about
200 yards away,” Davis says.
“I’m sure that helped to have
the plan approved. But every
school has a gym, and every
school can do this. I don’t see
why any principal wouldn’t
allow camp—just get your
emergency plan in order ahead
of time.”
Davis has only heard good
things about his newborn tradition at Therrell. Any parent
who had time available volunteered, and while some players were skeptical at first, all
were fully on board Davis’
program by the end of the
week. “We had one player
who had a bad attitude, and
he knew it,” he says. “He
came up to us during the last
night and said he was sorry
for the way he’d been acting
and that he would have a better attitude and be a better
person. It was completely out
of the blue. I turned to another coach and said, ‘See? Attitudes are changing.’”

Jeff Madden, Head Strength and Conditioning Coach at the
University of Texas, is featured in a segment of a Longhorns
video magazine being distributed over the Internet. Fans who sign
up for the five hour-long issues get an inside look at Texas football, including a tour of Head Coach Mack Brown’s office and a
typical day with quarterback Vince Young.
Mack Brown, Head Coach at
the University of Texas, is
doing just that. As part of the
university’s “Get Hooked”
campaign, the Longhorns are
being showcased in an Internet-based video magazine
that is updated monthly
throughout the season.
For an annual subscription fee
of $24.95, alumni and fans can
access the Longhorns Vmag

and Conditioning Coach Jeff
Madden.
Subscribers receive an e-mail
when new editions are available for download. The fullscreen television-quality picture can be viewed on most
computers. “We’re trying to
stay on the cutting edge of
technology,” Brown told The
NCAA News. “People are
interested in the inside story,

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Circle No. 103

LOCKER ROOM BULLETIN BOARD
and we can start telling those
stories in a controlled setting.”

stood that these things are a
part of life.”

NEWgame Communications,
Inc., produces Vmags, and is
headed by Kathleen Hessert,
also president of Sports Media
Challenge, a consulting firm
that has worked with Brown
for years. Hessert says that
while Brown has allowed exclusive access to her camera
crews and production team, he
hasn’t let them interfere with
the way he runs the program.

Of the issues that needed to be
hammered out, pay increases
topped the list. Under the new
contract, coaches receive a
three-percent salary increase
for the 2005-06 school year
and again for 2006-07, with
the potential for an additional
performance-based raise of up
to two and a half percent per
year. Full- and part-time coaches
with at least 10 consecutive
years of experience also received a one-time cash payment of $50 for each year they
have coached.

Madden has granted access to
his training program and is
getting some rare attention.
“One of the reasons Coach
Brown is allowing this inside
look is because it’s a valuable
way to give the right kind of
exposure to assistant coaches
like Jeff Madden,” Hessert
says. “These coaches aren’t on
the six o’clock news or the
front page of the sports section every day.”
Another Vmag feature is coverage of rookie orientation, an
area the public is often not let
in on, but is of great interest—
especially to the recruits who
are expected to view the video
magazine. “For recruiting purposes, this is a real edge for
Texas,” Hessert says. “Recruits
and their parents can watch
and understand more about
the program. When my son was
being recruited to play football, I wanted to know everything I could. This type of
information is invaluable to a
parent.”
To view a free introductory
copy of the Texas Longhorns Vmag, visit:
mackbrown-texasfootball.
com.

Penn. Coaches’
Strike Averted
When Shippensburg University
opened its 2005 season with a
narrow 10-3 win on Aug. 27, it
was the second close call
worth celebrating that week
for Head Coach Rocky Rees.

8

COACHING MANAGEMENT

In addition to coaching the Shippensburg University football
team, Rocky Rees also serves as chief negotiator for the union
that represents coaches in the Pennsylvania state college system.
The two roles collided this summer as a possible coaches’ strike
was averted days before the opening of the 2005 football season.
Just days before the game,
Rees—who is also chief negotiator for the union that represents coaches in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference
(PSAC)—learned that a new
contract agreement had been
reached between the union
and the Pennsylvania State
System of Higher Education.
The deal ended the possibility of a coaches’ strike that
threatened to shut down
sports in the NCAA Division II
conference.
About 360 PSAC coaches—
those not under separate faculty contracts at their schools
—are represented by the
country’s only coaches’ union,
the Association of Pennsylvania
State College and University
Faculties (APSCUF). Working
without a contract since their
previous one expired in 2004
and facing unresolved issues
including pay raises, health
insurance, and performance
evaluations, the coaches in
June 2005 authorized APSCUF
to call a work stoppage. The
official strike date was never
made public, and coaches
reported to preseason prac-

tices as scheduled. But newspaper reports speculated that
if a deal were not in place by
late August, teams at the 14
PSAC schools would have likely found themselves, at least
temporarily, without coaches.
A tentative agreement was
announced on Aug. 23, and
Rees says players and coaches
alike were relieved to learn
their seasons would not be
interrupted. “I was disappointed from the beginning that
the student-athletes had to be
put through the anxiety of a
potential strike,” he says.
“And as coaches, we were
burdened with the thought of
having to tell our players that
our families had to come first.”
While that burden never materialized, many PSAC coaches
were encouraged to find that
their athletes not only understood their situation, but also
supported them. “I told them
if we did go on strike, it
would be because it’s the
only resource we have left,”
Rees explains. “My players
said that while they hoped it
didn’t happen, they under-

The coaches did not secure
the direct link between performance evaluations and contract renewals they originally
requested to protect job security. But as part of the new
agreement, university presidents have to provide written
justification whenever an individual coach’s contract is not
renewed. The coaches also
agreed to contribute 0.5 percent of their salary to offset
the cost of health insurance in
2006, and one percent in 2007.
While the threat of a strike
made many uneasy, Rees says
the coaches of the PSAC support the concept of unionization, and realize that it gives
them critical leverage in collective bargaining. Before joining
APSCUF, which also represents
5,500 faculty members at
Pennsylvania state schools, virtually all aspects of a coach’s
job were controlled by his or
her university president.
“Each president handled things
his or her own way, but there
was nothing to protect our
rights,” Rees says. “We had no
sick days, so if we were to have
a catastrophic illness, we were
at the mercy of the president
to keep us on during that
time. We had no guarantee of
job security, either. We were
basically on year-to-year contracts even after we had been
at the same place for 15 or 20
years.”

Circle No. 104

LOCKER ROOM BULLETIN BOARD
Many coaches’ salaries were
also very low. The first contract they secured through the
union, which took effect in
2002, set salary ranges for fulltime head coaches ($30,000$85,000) and assistant coaches
($25,000-$50,000), as well as
minimum salaries for part-time
coaches. Before they unionized, Rees knew of some
coaches who were eligible for
public assistance programs
while working full-time for
their university.

H.S. Coaches
Riled By Pulled
Scholarships

The South Carolina Football
Coaches’ Association Board of
Directors blasted Spurrier’s
move in a letter signed by 90
coaches and sent to Spurrier
and South Carolina Athletic
Director Eric Hyman. The complaints centered on the timing
of and reasoning for Spurrier’s
decision. “We understand athletic scholarships are a year
commitment,” the board’s letter stated. “However, we feel
that unless an athlete ‘breaks
rules’ or embarrasses the institution, to revoke a scholarship
because you feel an athlete
cannot play at the level needed
to compete in the Southeastern
Conference is unethical.”

University of South Carolina Head Coach Steve Spurrier upset
some high school coaches in his state when he revoked the scholarships of six players during the summer.

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COACHING MANAGEMENT

Circle No. 105

AP/WIDE WORLD PHOTOS

Despite the buzz surrounding
the University of South Carolina’s hiring of Head Coach
Steve Spurrier, some high
school coaches in the state are
not enamored with the Gamecocks football program and

its new coach. In a nationally
publicized and criticized move,
Spurrier revoked the scholarships of six players recruited
by his predecessor, drawing
the ire of a number of the
state’s high school coaches.

Spurrier defended his actions
at the Southeastern Conference preseason football gathering. “We had some walk-on
players who were actually contributing more,” Spurrier said.
“So some of the high schoolers,
they got mad about it. I don’t
know what to say, but to me in
life you put people on scholarship who deserve it the most
and that’s what we tried to do.”
The high school coaches felt
that the timing of the decision
would make it very difficult for
those athletes to transfer and
find a scholarship or roster
spot at another institution. “If
coming out of spring practice
you make that decision, that’s
one thing,” said Andy Tweito,
an Assistant Coach at Daniel
High School in Central, S.C.,
and a member of the board of
the South Carolina Football
Coaches Association in an
interview with The Associated
Press. “Now, these kids are

stranded, they have nowhere
to go. He’s left the kids high
and dry.”
The board’s letter mentioned
that the coaches might recommend that the South Carolina
High School League find an
alternate location for its five
state championship games,
which are played at South Carolina’s Williams-Brice Stadium.
However, according to SCHSL
Executive Director Jerome
Singleton, the SCFCA never
made a formal change-ofvenue request, and the championship games will be played
in Columbia as planned.
But that doesn’t mean the
coaches will forget Spurrier’s
actions anytime soon. “Our
group is sticking together and
saying, ‘Look, if this is the
way they’re going to treat our
kids, then we don’t know that
they’ll be welcome when they
come recruiting kids in the

future,’” says Keith Richardson,
Executive Secretary of the
South Carolina Athletic Coaches
Association. “Hopefully our
coaches will be sure that their
kids who are recruited by
South Carolina are aware that
if they don’t perform, they
could lose their scholarship.”

Possible Sanctions
Not Academic
College recruiting has always
been about what a prospect
can contribute to a team.
That’s mostly meant what he
can do on the field, with academics a small part of the
mix. But at the NCAA Division
I level, academic potential
and team contributions are
linked more closely than ever
now that student-athletes can
directly help or hurt their
teams by their classroom performance.

When the NCAA released the
first batch of academic scores
this past spring under its Academic Progress Rate (APR) system, 29 percent of football
teams had scores that would
put them in danger of scholarship losses if the penalties that
could be imposed as early as
this winter were already in
effect. Many more schools
didn’t make the cut of 925—a
score that the Association says
translates into a 50 percent
graduation rate—but were
within the margin of error
being used for the system’s
first few years.
The threat of penalties combined with the embarrassment
that would accompany failure
to meet the academic standard has led to a change in
recruiting. “We’re definitely
taking fewer chances now,”
says Troy Rothenbuhler, Tight
Ends Coach and Recruiting
Coordinator at Bowling Green

LOCKER ROOM BULLETIN BOARD
State University. “In the past,
you’d take chances on some
kids hoping that you could
keep them eligible. Now, we’re
going to take fewer of those,
because down the road, it’s
going to catch up to you.”
The numbers made public in
March reflect the academic
performance of Division I
scholarship athletes in all
NCAA championship sports
during the 2003-04 academic
year. When more years of data
are available, scores will be
based on a rolling four-year
tally. Each student-athlete can
earn two points per term—
one by remaining in school
and one by remaining academically eligible for competition. At the end of the school
year, points are tallied, divided
by the total points that the
program could have earned,
and multiplied by 1,000 to
establish the APR score.

JUSTIN KASE CONDER/FRESNO STATE ATHLETICS

Since the first round of scores
came out, the NCAA adjusted
some scores to reflect quirks
such as incorrectly reported
data, incompletes in certain
courses for particular athletes,
and schools that use term calendars instead of semesters.
When those were applied,
along with the margin of error,
about 26 percent of football
teams would have faced penalties, a higher rate than any
other sport.
Then in August, the NCAA
allowed for circumstances
beyond a team’s control to be
taken into account. These
include athletes turning pro
before graduating, a personal
or family illness, or the student’s major academic program being canceled. The
Committee on Academic Performance, however, also specified that other circumstances
would not receive such consideration. Among them are an
athlete dropping out because
of a coaching change, loss of
scholarship, lack of playing
time, or academic or disciplinary suspension. The ultimate
aim is to help ensure studentathletes graduate, which is the

same goal recruiters want
prospects to have, Rothenbuhler says.
Bowling Green’s 929 score is
above the cut, but the APR
system makes clear that a
prospect’s academic potential
has to be more closely scrutinized. “We’re evaluating transcripts better and trying to get
them sooner so our academic

view school personnel and
parents, looking for signs that
the student-athlete will be academically motivated in college.
“You have to make sure that
they want a degree, and that
they want to go to class, not
just that they’re a great player
and they want to play football,” he says. “You have to
know if they’ve got a support

When Hill took the Fresno
State job in 1999, he set out
to improve the program’s academic performance, which
two years earlier USA Today
had labeled the worst in the
country. Three days a week,
Hill and his staff meet with all
freshmen and any upperclassmen who have a GPA below
2.2 to go over assignments,
grades, and upcoming tests.

The NCAA’s Academic Progress Rate system not only threatens underperforming schools with
sanctions including loss of scholarships, it also provides a way for programs to highlight their
academic successes. Fresno State, for example, points to its 939 score, fourth among Division
I schools in the West, as evidence that its academic programs are working. Fresno State’s Kyle
Young is shown above.
coordinator can look at them
and decide whether these
guys are going be able to
graduate,” Rothenbuhler says.

system at home that’s going
to push them through class,
and that education’s important to the kid.”

According to Rothenbuhler,
Bowling Green recruiters have
already eliminated some prospects who might have been
considered in the past. For
other prospects, coaches are
looking more carefully at their
junior year in high school,
thinking improved grades signal that the young player will
get serious about schoolwork
when he realizes he could earn
a scholarship. They also inter-

For some Division I programs,
the new APR system serves as
a way to show the world
they’re paying attention to
academics. “It hasn’t changed
recruiting for us. It’s given us
a lot of credibility, though,”
says Pat Hill, Head Football
Coach at Fresno State. “There
aren’t many state schools that
have the academic record we
do when everyone’s evaluated
the same way.”

When the first APR scores
came out, Fresno could point
to its 939 score as proof of
improvement. The Bulldogs
ranked second in the Mountain West Conference and
fourth among Division I programs in the west, so Hill welcomes a system for showing
off the turnaround.
“The APR is all about what you
are doing to keep kids on
track to graduation,” Hill says.
“It’s accurate. It’s immediate.
There are a lot of people who
don’t like the APR because the
numbers don’t favor them.”

COACHING MANAGEMENT

13

Circle No. 108

ED THOMAS
Aplington-Parkersburg (Iowa) High School
Most small high schools would be thrilled to have just one
player reach the NFL. Yet in Iowa, Aplington-Parkersburg
High School enrolls just 280 students and is the alma
mater of four current NFL players—Casey Wiegmann of
the Kansas City Chiefs, Jared DeVries of the Detroit Lions,
Brad Meester of the Jacksonville Jaguars, and Aaron
Kampman of the Green Bay Packers. All four are linemen
who played for Head Coach Ed Thomas.
Thomas entered the 2005 season with a record of 257-80
in 33 years, including two state titles (1993, 2001) and
four state runner-up finishes. He began his career in 1972
at Northeast Hamilton High School in Blairsburg, Iowa,
and moved to Parkersburg High School in 1975. When

Q&A

Parkersburg’s school system merged with neighboring
Aplington’s in 1992, he was named head coach of the
joint football program.
Thomas has twice been named Iowa Class 1A Coach of
the Year and was a finalist for the 2003 NFL High School
Coach of the Year award. In 2004, he was honored as
Coach of the Year for Leadership by the Iowa High School
Athletic Directors Association. He has been on the Board
of Directors of the Iowa Football Coaches Association
(IFCA) for 26 years and served as its president in 1991.
In this interview, Thomas talks about his program’s pro
football alumni, developing leadership, and what he looks
for in assistant coaches.

CM: What is it like to see four of your
players reach the NFL?
Thomas: Coming from a small high
school in rural Iowa, it’s a great feeling to
watch television on Sundays and see our
players out there. In a close-knit, small
community, everybody knows what’s
going on, and it has created a real sense
of pride in our school and our football
program.

All four NFL players are linemen—
what makes that such a strong position in your program?
I’ve always thought football games start
up front, both offensively and defensively, so we place a huge emphasis on
line play at our school, and our kids take
a lot of pride in that. In fact, I would say
that three-quarters of our All-State players have been linemen.

I have one friend in town who has five
TV sets in his living room and subscribes
to NFL Sunday Ticket, so he can watch
all four kids at once. During the football
season, there are people over at his
house all the time to watch them play.

We stress fundamentals from day one
to the last game of the year. We run the
same drills in the first week of practice as
in the last week. We want our kids to get
a lot of reps in, so by the time they’re
juniors and seniors, they’ve gotten pretty

good at the various techniques we ask
them to use.
When those future pros were in your
program, what did you notice that set
them apart?
They had athletic ability, of course—
those kids were all great multi-sport athletes at our school—but they also had an
inner drive and a tremendous work ethic.
We’ve had other kids with tremendous
work ethics, but those four combined
it with a special ability to elevate their
game every day. They consistently made
themselves better, and even in practice, you could see them progressing to
another level.

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What do you hope your athletes will take
away from playing in your program?
I’ve always said my job is not to prepare
our kids to be college athletes. My job is
to make football a learning experience,
and there are so many things they can
learn from being a part of our team that
will help them be successful later in life
as a father, member of a church, or member of the community. There are so many
intangibles we can teach that they can
take with them.

Success begins up front for Ed Thomas, Head Coach at Aplington-Parkersburg (Iowa)
High School. The Falcons have won two state titles and produced four NFL linemen.

How do you instill character and leadership skills in your players?
I don’t have captains anymore—I went
to a system of senior leaders. Around
the end of February, I go over our senior
leadership program with all of the next
year’s senior football players and ask
if they want to be involved. For seven
weeks, I teach a morning leadership class
to those who do. They are then responsible for the other players—whether it’s
behavior, succeeding in the classroom, or

COACHING MANAGEMENT

15

working in the weightroom, they provide
leadership for our program.
I decided to teach leadership because I
think it’s something that isn’t present in
kids as often as it used to be. We have to
show kids how to be leaders today.
What specific lessons do athletes learn
in the leadership class?
I talk about leaders setting an example,
the responsibility of being a leader, and

the idea of being a servant and a giver.
I talk about standing up to do what is
right when nobody else will, and letting
other players know when they’re doing
something wrong. I also explain the
importance of being a role model—that
leaders have to set the tone for other
players to follow. I talk about the respect
that they have to gain with other young
people. I tell them that everyone might
not always like you, but you should act in
such a way that they respect you.

You’re a member of the IFCA ethics
committee. How do you define ethics
as it relates to coaching?
Ethics is doing what’s right. It’s following
the rules, and teaching football the way
it ought to be played. Ethics is teaching
young people about sportsmanship and
how to conduct themselves in a first-class
fashion regardless of whether they win or
lose. I tell our kids that we’re going to go
out and play hard, and we want to win
as much as anybody. But when the game

“I want [assistant coaches]
who are enthusiastic, positive, and good teachers. To
me, coaching is teaching. I
want people who care about
kids and want to help them
be the very best they can,
not only as football players
but also as young men.“

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Circle No. 109

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COACHING MANAGEMENT

is over, we’re going to line up, shake
hands, and be gentlemen, knowing that
we did the very best we could. To me,
that’s all part of ethics.
What are some ethical problems you
see among coaches today?
I think sportsmanship is definitely one
problem area. Young people should
know how to conduct themselves on the
field, in the community, and at school,
and coaches need to set a consistent
example. I think there are some programs
that win but don’t know how to win in a
first-class way. Some schools try to cheat
during the off-season, ignoring what is
not allowed by the state association to
try to get an edge. Usually when people
cheat, it’s going to catch up to them.
And what kind of message are we sending to our young people if we bend the
rules?
Do coaches have a responsibility to
act if they see other programs being
unethical, or should each coach focus
on his own program?
First, you’d better make sure your own
house is clean. But I think when you see
things not being done ethically, you need
to report that. On my football team,
if we have kids doing what’s not right,
that’s a reflection on our whole program.
And if we have coaches doing what’s
not right, that reflects on the coaching
profession. I also think athletic directors
don’t always take the time to go over

Q&A
ethical guidelines with their coaches—
especially young coaches coming out of
college who might not fully understand
the difference between the collegiate
and high school levels.
What do you look for in assistant
coaches?
I want people who are enthusiastic, positive, and good teachers. To me, coaching is teaching. I want people who care
about kids and want to help them be the
very best they can, not only as football
players but also as young men. I don’t
really care how much football knowledge
they have—I can teach them what I want
them to teach the players, so I want positive role models and great motivators.

What do you wish you had known
when you started out as a coach?
When I started coaching, I didn’t know
anything. I have grown as a coach in
the teaching aspect and understanding
the importance of having a sequence
to what you teach. We have a progression for things, like how we teach our
offensive linemen to block, and how
our defensive players should play their
positions. When I started, I didn’t have
a concept of that like I do today.

Another area is learning. I read books
to find new ways to inject motivation
into our program. If I were just starting
out now, I would go look at successful
coaches around the state. I would talk to
those people and pick their brains about
what they’re doing. Of all the things
we do here, I don’t think there’s much
that’s original. I’ve taken and borrowed
from other programs and places. Young
coaches should be out there observing and talking to winning coaches and
learning why they’re successful.

Is it a bad thing that athletes are specializing in one sport at a younger age?
Without question it’s a problem in high
school athletics today, and it really does
a disservice to young people. Parents
and AAU people tell kids they’ve got to
specialize if they’re going to get scholarships. But it’s not my job as a head
coach to turn out scholarship athletes. If
they’re good enough, that opportunity
will come, but every program in a high
school needs the good athletes to play.
Maybe basketball is a kid’s first love, and
if that’s the case, of course he’s going to

“When I started coaching,
I didn’t know anything. I
have grown as a coach in the
teaching aspect and understanding the importance of
having a sequence to what
you teach. We have a progression for things, like
how we teach our linemen
to block.“
spend a little more time in that program,
but he can still play football or run track.
I want our football players to be threeor four-sport athletes, and our most
successful players have been multi-sport
athletes. I think sometimes young coaches can be kind of selfish, wanting the
best athletes to themselves. I’ve learned
over the years that it’s more important
to get the kids into other programs,
because competing is more important
than anything else.
Circle No. 110
COACHING MANAGEMENT

17

Every year hundreds of high school
football players … with the desire
and the ability to participate at the
collegiate level are overlooked by college and university coaching staffs.
Often athletes go unnoticed because
they are members of a team which
did not achieve a winning record, the
athletes attend smaller, lower profile
high schools and/or the athletes fail to
effectively market their talents to the
proper audience.
Thus begins the Web site for a football combine aimed at high school
players in the Midwest. With an admonition like that, it’s no wonder that
such events are growing in popularity among high school football players
nationwide. Student-athletes enamored
with the possibility of continuing their
football careers are increasingly turning to the combine as a central part of
their self-promotion strategy.
For college coaches, though, combines are a double-edged sword. The
information they provide about high
school prospects can be invaluable,
but they have also added a new facet
to recruiting—one with the potential
to place a major strain on time and
resources.
As combines continue to proliferate
across the country, some coaches feel
they are reaching a critical mass where
the costs are starting to outweigh the
benefits. The NCAA is considering a
proposal that would prohibit Division I
coaches from attending combines and
ban the events from Division I campuses. The idea is to keep coaches from
feeling they have to be on the road
every weekend watching one combine
or another, and it has support among
many coaches, who agree it’s time for
the association to step in.
However, these new rules won’t close
down combines. Players will still run
every sprint they can in hopes of getting noticed, and coaches will still want
to know their times. So, why would
college coaches seemingly want to bite
the hand that feeds them? Should high
school coaches promote specialized
combine training to players? And how
can high school coaches help their athletes navigate the maze of options that
combines present?
18

COACHING MANAGEMENT

TACKLING

College coaches love the information high
school combines provide, but worry about
the recruiting demands they create.

COVER STORY

SPORTS ILLUSTRATED/TOM DAHLIN

BY GREG SCHOLAND

COMBINES
Instead of just talking about the problem,
coaches are joining together to accentuate
the positive and eliminate the negative.

Rules of Engagement
In some ways the growth of combines
is a chicken-and-egg scenario. Players
feel the need to attend to be seen by the
coaches they want to play for. Coaches
feel the need to attend to be seen by the
players they’re recruiting. Regardless of
who started looking at whom first, some
coaches believe this cycle is getting to
be too much.
“If some programs show up and others don’t, that can be noticed by athletes
who want to know what schools are interested in them,” explains Grant Teaff,
Executive Director of the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA). “And
certain combines will say to a coaching
staff, ‘You’d better be there, because soand-so’s staff is going to be there.’ And
they’ll tell players, ‘You need to come to
our combine, because all these coaching
staffs are going to be watching.’”
Out of concern that this pressure
will only get worse, the Big Ten submitted a proposal this summer that aims to
take coaches out of the picture. NCAA
Proposal 2005-151, which has the support of the Football Issues Committee,
would prohibit Division I coaches from
attending “any scholastic or nonscholastic activities devoted to agility, flexibility,
speed, and strength tests for football
prospective student-athletes” during the
spring evaluation period.
In its rationale, the Big Ten points
to coaches and prospects feeling compelled “to participate/attend for the
sake of impressing each other.” It also
notes that by removing the pressure to
attend combines, coaches can spend
more time on campus with the studentathletes already in their program.
Another major motivation is protecting coaches’ quality of life. “We’d like
to give coaches a little breathing room
from recruiting—it’s as simple as that,”
says Mark Rudner, Big Ten Associate
Commissioner and staff liaison to the
conference’s football coaches. “The
coaches feel like if they accept going
to combines, then it is probably something they’ll eventually have to do every
week.”
Continued on page 22
Greg Scholand is an Assistant Editor at
Coaching Management. He can be reached
at: gs@MomentumMedia.com.

Purdue University Head Coach Joe
Tiller, chairman of the Big Ten’s football committee, says the conference’s
coaches believe that any advantage
they gain from attending combines is
far outweighed by the toll—in time,
money, and energy—that it takes on
coaching staffs. “Our assistant coaches
tell us it’s another reason they’re forced
to be away from their families, especially because most combines are held
over the weekend,” he says. “And you
can still get the information from a
combine even if you aren’t there.”
Tiller believes that a rule barring
coaches from combines could slow their
expansion in general, relieving some
pressure in the recruiting race for college programs and high school athletes
alike. “The Big Ten coaches feel the
events will be somewhat devalued if college coaches aren’t there,” he says. “We
can’t tell anyone who wants to start up
a combine that they can’t do it. But if
we say that no coaches are ever going to
be there, some of them might be more
likely to think twice.”
The proposal would also prohibit
Division I institutions from hosting combines. There’s already an obvious promotional advantage for a school that
welcomes a combine to its campus, and
it would likely be heightened if no other
schools were represented. It’s a benefit that

Jeff Jellison, President and Coordinator
of the Indiana-based Hoosier Gridiron
combine, acknowledges.
“When I conduct my combine at a
college, I’m bringing in a couple hundred kids to see the athletic facilities
and the whole campus,” he says. “It
might not even benefit the football program. Maybe a kid has never been there
before, and when he attends the event
and spends time on the campus he may
decide he wants to go to school there.”
Not surprisingly, combine operators
like Jellison see potential negative impact
from the new rules. “I think kids will be
hurt more than college coaches if the
college coaches can’t be there,” he says.
“If it’s a reputable combine, the coaches
are going to get the data either way. But
the kids would miss out on a chance to
make a really big impression on coaches
who might be interested in them.”
Nonetheless, the proposal has the
unanimous support of Big Ten coaches and is also backed by the AFCA,
which found in a poll of its members
that about 90 percent favor the prohibitions. The NCAA Academics/Eligibility/
Compliance cabinet agrees with the
motivation behind the proposal, but
wants its scope expanded to all parts of
the recruiting year. The Management
Council will formally consider the measure in January, and if it successfully

passes through the NCAA legislative process, the new rules could take effect as
early as Aug. 1, 2006.
Being There
So how much are coaches really
giving up if they can’t go to combines?
Or, more broadly, what is the upside of
attending them? Answers vary from one
coach to another.
Some feel there is a strong benefit to
attending combines to see prospects for
themselves. This can be especially true
outside of Division I-A, where recruiting is typically more regional and often
based as much on potential as on existing abilities. At Division III Carthage
College, Head Coach Tim Rucks says
combines aren’t a central focus of his
recruiting—he goes to only one or two
a year—but part of the value for him is
observing things that don’t show up in
a letter or a stats summary.
“A good recruiter, especially at the
D-III level, has to look ahead, and seeing a kid in person can really tell you
a lot,” Rucks says. “For one thing, you
can look at the size of a player’s frame
and see how he’s going to fill out. For
example, when our starting right tackle
was a senior in high school, he was just
200 pounds. If you just looked at the
numbers, you wouldn’t say that anyone
should recruit the guy. But we saw that

DRILLS AND MORE
Combines serve a specific
function in the evaluation of
football athletes. For assessing
performance in a set of basic skills, they
are in essence a great equalizer—the SAT
of athletics. In a sport where everyone’s
success depends in part on somebody
else, they offer a chance for an athlete to
distinguish himself in individual tests of
strength, speed, and agility.
For that reason, while combines have
sprung up independently throughout
the country, their core activities and
assessments are usually very similar. Most
include the 40-yard dash as the basic
speed test, and a vertical jump or broad
jump is also standard. Agility and quickness are usually assessed with a timed
cone drill, four-corner run, or shuttle run.
For strength, athletes typically bench

22

COACHING MANAGEMENT

press as many repetitions as possible at a
given weight, with 185 pounds being the
most common. Coaches viewing combine
results typically see the outcomes of all
these tests, along with each athlete’s age,
height, and weight. Some combines also
provide academic information.
While most combines are built around
the same core activities, that doesn’t
mean they are identical. As they compete against each other for players and
coaches, many have devised ways to
distinguish themselves, and in so doing,
offer more to their participants and interested recruiters.
“We select the top 200 kids from our
Junior Combine and invite them back
to attend an elite combine the following
month, where we put them through a
number of football activities,” says Joe

Russo, President of the Maryland High
School Football Coaches Association.
“They’ll do passing and catching, oneon-one drills, run zone and man-to-man
defenses, and other things that allow
them to display their football abilities. We
put it on digital video, and make it available to college programs.”
The Indiana-based Hoosier Gridiron
combine takes sport simulation a step
further, with seven-on-seven scrimmages.
“It gives the players another opportunity
to demonstrate what they’ve got,” says
Jeff Jellison, President and Coordinator.
“Some kids can go into an event and test
very well, but for some their real athleticism and skills show on the football field,
not in a timed agility drill. The kids also
really enjoy it—when the final whistle
blows, they always ask to keep playing.”

Circle No. 112

COVER STORY

he had room to grow, and he’s now playing at 265 pounds for us as a junior.”
Rucks says a good eye at a combine
can also spot someone whose raw numbers belie greater potential. “A lot of
high school kids don’t know how to do
some of these tests, like a shuttle run,
properly,” he says. “So their times are
not always going to reflect their true
abilities. You can watch them run a
certain 40 time and say, well he’s really
faster than that, he just has bad form.”
Rucks also uses combines as an
opportunity to assess intangibles—the
character traits and attitude that make
a great learner and a great teammate.
Everything from how much an athlete
hustles between stations to how he reacts
after a particularly good or bad performance can offer clues. “How much

courses that help high school students
look their best for admissions offices,
a cottage industry of performance centers and personal trainers is helping
student-athletes improve their 40 times
and increase agility-drill proficiency.
But is it a wise investment?
“There are usually more than 100
kids at our combine who have gone
to a personal trainer to improve their
score,” says Joe Russo, President of
the Maryland High School Football
Coaches Association. The MHSFCA
Junior Combine is billed as the largest high school combine in the country—more than 800 players attended
last year. According to Russo, so many
athletes invest in personal combine
prep because they feel the event is one
of their best chances to get noticed by

“When we started the Junior Combine in 1990, 11 football players
in Maryland earned NCAA Division I scholarships ... Last year 132
kids received some kind of money for college, and 52 earned
Division I scholarships.”

do they interact with other guys? How
well do they interact with the coaches?
Those things give you an idea of their
personality,” Rucks explains. “Seeing
their overall presence in a group situation can be really important.”
At Purdue, Tiller and his staff use
combines to learn more about athletes
from far away, players they would otherwise have few, if any, opportunities
to evaluate. “A combine can give you a
chance to eyeball someone who you’re
not otherwise going to be able to know
as much about,” he says. “People know
where the best kids are, but you’re going
to know less about someone who’s far
away, and combines can change that.”
Training in Vain?
Even if the NCAA rules are enacted,
high school players will continue to
invest time, money, and effort into
preparation for the events. Just like
the hundreds of SAT tutors and prep
24

COACHING MANAGEMENT

coaches at the next level.
“When we started the Junior Combine in 1990, 11 football players in
Maryland earned NCAA Division I
scholarships,” he says. “We have run
it every year since then, and last year
132 kids received some kind of money
for college, and 52 earned Division I
scholarships.”
Tony Soika, Owner and Operator
of Sports Performance Advancement,
a private training facility based in
Appleton, Wis., has also noticed the
trend. He estimates that 75 percent
of the football players who train at his
facility are looking to improve their
combine numbers. As a result, a large
part of his work with them focuses on
the drills that have become standard
combine fare.
“Sometimes it’s a matter of teaching
simple mechanics,” Soika explains. “In
the 40-yard dash, for instance, a lot of
football players aren’t used to starting

in a down position. So when they start
their run, the first three or four steps
feel awkward to them. Other kids won’t
know the proper stance, so they will
get into position with the wrong arm
cocked back. It will take a split second
to correct their mechanics once they
begin running, but an eye blink is a
quarter of a second.”
Soika says it’s not uncommon for
someone who does combine training
to add several inches to their vertical, trim two or more tenths off their
40 time, and make dramatic bench
press improvements. But, he points out,
those gains don’t necessarily create better football players. And the athletes
usually know it.
“A lot of the players I work with
see combines almost as a necessary
evil—they want to train for them, and
then they want their training to be
completely different as soon as they’re
over,” Soika says. “If I’m training someone to be a wide receiver, we work on
things like mechanics, route running,
core strength, and change of direction.
When I have to stop that in order to
improve their bench press, that does
little to help them at their position.”
Soika finds that in addition to being
a distraction, too much focus on combines can sometimes interfere with
football development. “I’ve got a serious I-AA prospect, and his dad recently
asked me to train him to do better at
an upcoming combine,” he says. “That
means taking time out of his training
as a quarterback, but it also means I’m
building him up to do more reps on the
bench. If a quarterback suddenly develops a bulked-up, muscular upper body,
that can affect his throwing mechanics.
“The more I turn him into a body
builder, it’s almost like we’ll have to do
damage control later on,” Soika continues. “When I’m training an athlete for a
combine, I will make it clear to him and
his family that my real goal is to make
him a better football player. The day
after the combine is over, we’ll forget all
about it and train for his sport.”
Combine Coaching
While coaches and others may
debate the value of specialized combine
training, there is no doubt that many
high school players boost their college
football prospects through combine
participation. But for a student-athlete

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who is taking a first look at the combine
scene, knowing where and how to begin
can be difficult.
Among an athlete’s first priorities
should be identifying which events are
right for him, and this is an area where
high school coaches should be ready
to offer some guidance. Some combines welcome players from all over

the talent spectrum, while others are
geared only toward elite athletes. If a
player’s best shot for college football
is at the Division III level, he may be
best served attending several combines
in his region—or the region where
he would like to go to school—where
Division III coaches will be. If he is a
serious Division I prospect and already

has the attention of recruiters, he might
only need to attend one elite combine
to verify what scouts already know about
his physical abilities and skills. If he’s
somewhere in between, he might consider going both routes.
Economics is another consideration.
Teaff says that as combines continue to
proliferate, some coaches are concerned

STANDARD MEASURES

O

ne major reason for the growth of combines has been
the demand by college coaches for objective data.
To help ensure that coaches have a trustworthy,
standardized profile of athletes from anywhere in the
country, the American Football Coaches Association
(AFCA) launched a set of uniform testing protocols in January
called the National Athletic Testing System (NATS).
Six state football coaches’ associations have partnered with NATS
for their association-run combines. Combine officials are trained
by NATS staff members to ensure that all tests are performed
and measured according to the same standards, and all the

information from sanctioned events is fed into a nationwide
database.
“Our board of trustees wanted to standardize the testing of
student-athletes so that a coach anywhere in the country could
get credible, accurate information—whether it came from the
East Coast, the Midwest, or the West Coast,” says Grant Teaff,
Executive Director of the AFCA and Executive Advisor to the
NATS Board of Review. “We sensed that there is an increasing
number of combines out there, and not all of them are operating
in a standard, reliable way that gives coaches what they really
need.”

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You can create and save an unlimited
number of templates.

• How many graphics can I get:
We do not limit the number of graphics
you can have and you have the ability
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to use instantly in your e-mails.

• How do I get the e-mail out there
to the people I want to reach:
You have the ability to select the group
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recruiting database or an Excel file and
upload them directly to your CyberMail
site.

• How do I know the prospect got
my e-mail: CyberMail sends you a
notification the instant your e-mail is
opened by the person you sent it to;
you can also view the status of received
e-mails on your CyberMail site in a list
format.

• You will also be notified if the
recipient clicks on a link you inserted
in your e-mail.

ACCESS, UPDATE & ADD
PROSPECT INFO VIA THE
INTERNET IN REAL TIME
• When I update information via
CyberWeb is it immediately
updated in the office?
Yes, when you update information
via the Internet with CyberWeb your
changes are instantly updated to
The Recruiter 2000 in the office.
Changes being made in the office
while you are on the road are seen
when you log on to CyberWeb via the
Internet.

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contacts/evals using CyberWeb?
Yes, all your compliance tracking can
be recorded using CyberWeb.

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• Pick and choose what prospects you
want to add to The Recruiter 2000
prospect database
• Rejected questionnaires get stored
on your site and can be reactivated
at anytime (the prospect does not
know you rejected them)

access your current player database,
high school database and even club
database.

• You have the ability to review
each questionnaire online, save
the questionnaires electronically so
they can be e-mailed, or print out
selected questionnaires for review

•Does CyberWeb make me
completely dependent upon
having access to the internet?

• Cut down on manually entering
paper questionnaires and save your
staff time

•What else do I have access to
using CyberWeb? You can

No, that’s the beauty of it. You still
have your desktop version of the
recruiting and compliance software,
The Recruiter 2000 and CyberPalm.
So if you are in a location that does
not have internet access, you can still
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You’ll have the best of BOTH WORLDS!

• Customizable e-mail reply
automatically sent to those who
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• Use CyberQuestLive for your next
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We have been using The Recruiter 2000, CyberPalm, CyberQuestLive and CyberMail from CyberSports, Inc.
for the past year and it has made our recruiting and compliance extremely efficient. The Recruiter 2000 database
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CyberQuestLive and CyberMail have made the whole process completely streamlined. Downloading
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Defensive Coordinator–Dartmouth College, Chris Wilkerson

Circle No. 115

COVER STORY

about the potential for athletes to be
exploited financially, spending a great
deal of money to attend some events that
offer little in return. Some combines
cost less than $30 per entrant, while others charge more than twice that. There
is no rule of thumb on how much is too
much, so the best advice is simply to find
out about a combine’s reputation and
what it has to offer before signing up.
“It’s a good idea to find out how long
a combine has been around—whether it
has established itself or whether it could
be here today and gone tomorrow,” says
Jellison. “Some combines don’t have
an office or a number to call to reach
someone who can answer questions.
Just as importantly, they don’t have a
number that college coaches can call to
learn about the event.”
Most critical is finding out how far a
combine goes to make its results available to college programs. Ultimately,
the ones that work hardest to put information in the hands of college recruiters are offering the most bang for a
player’s buck.

Many combines, for instance, post their
results on the Internet. National Athletic
Testing System combines (see “Standard
Measures” on page 26), go even further,
feeding their results into a searchable
nationwide database that can be accessed
by any college program. Other combines
have mailing lists of hundreds of college
coaches who receive information about
the combine beforehand and a complete
packet of results afterward.
In Perspective
While combines have clearly changed
the recruiting game, many veteran
coaches agree that placing too much
focus on them can be detrimental to an
athlete’s overall development. It’s true
that a great combine performance can
make an athlete stand out to a college
program, but it is important to view
these events, and their relative value, in
perspective.
“My feeling has always been that a
football program wants to recruit football athletes—not sprinters or weightlifters,” says Jim Collins, Head Coach at

Circle No. 116

28

COACHING MANAGEMENT

Capital University, a Division III school
whose conference’s recruiting rules
prohibit coaches from attending combines. “There are some really key skills,
like body control, hand-eye coordination, and game sense, that no combine
could ever really show you.
“Rather than spending time with a
personal trainer, lifting for two hours,
and then working on speed drills for
another hour, I would rather have a
well-rounded, multi-sport athlete who
really knows how to compete,” he continues. “As for the skills you develop getting ready for a combine, I say we can
always develop those things after we’ve
got them in our program.”
“Combines aren’t so important that
an athlete should ever give up another
sport to get ready for them,” agrees
Rucks. “What can really get lost if you
focus on raw numbers is the importance of being able to compete and
be part of a team. I like people to play
other sports. I like it because they’re
getting coached every day, and I don’t
think you can replace that.” ■

Coaches and players are constantly
looking for ways to maximize onfield performance. Extra sets in the
weightroom and extra reps on the practice field have long been standard fare
for helping players perform better. Now,
specialized dinner menus and breakfast
plans are being used the same way.
Although often overlooked by teens
who would rather stuff their faces with
pizza and two-liter bottles of soda pop,
proper nutrition is very important for
football players and can help them in
numerous ways, big and small. Because
of the short bursts of energy required for
football, eating enough carbohydrates is
critical. Players who need to put on
weight must learn to take in more calories than they burn, but they must be the
right calories. And with only 10 to 12
games per season, each pregame meal
takes on great importance.

FOOD FOR
THOUGHT
GETTY IMAGES (FOOTBALL IMAGE)

BY LESLIE BONCI

Even the best practice schedule or game plan can be sabotaged
when players aren’t properly fueled for the rigors of football. By
making sure team members know the right foods—and amounts—
to eat throughout the week, coaches can ensure players always
have the energy they need.

Emphasize Performance
As a dietitian who has worked with
the Pittsburgh Steelers for the past 12
years, several NCAA Division I and
Division III teams, and high school athletes, I have found that the best way to
talk to football players about this topic is
to emphasize performance benefits over
nutritional requirements. Whenever I
provide advice or information, I talk
about the edge that eating confers—its
specific impact on strength, speed, stamina, and recovery. This resonates with
athletes much more than talking about
calorie counting or healthy eating.
I also talk about taking responsibility
for optimal body fueling. A player who
comes to practice without having eaten
breakfast or lunch, or skimps on fluid
intake during a hot summer practice, is
not going to reach his full potential—
which ultimately affects the team.
Leslie Bonci is Director of Sports Nutrition at
the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
and serves as a consultant to the Pittsburgh
Steelers, University of Pittsburgh athletics,
and several area high schools.

COACHING MANAGEMENT

31

NUTRITION

However, at the same time, I also
stress individual needs. Each player will
have differing nutrient requirements
based on body size, position, and individual food preferences. What works for

And I always link the suggestions to
performance. I’ll say, “If you don’t eat
breakfast, you will not have the energy
to make the most of practice,” or “If you
forego that second helping at dinner,

Each meal should look like a peace sign, with onethird of the plate as protein (red meat, poultry,
fish, eggs, cheese, milk, yogurt, dried beans, nuts,
soy products), one-third as a starch (rice, pasta,
potato) and one-third as fruits and vegetables.
one player may not be the best strategy
for someone else.
Therefore, the trick is to give players
guidelines that are clear, but not overly
specific. I don’t insist they eat any one
food. I give them a range of possible
choices to fit their likes and lifestyles.
When excess body fat seems to be
hindering their speed and quickness, I
start with simple advice: Decrease portions, but do not skip meals. Cut back
on fats, not carbohydrates.

you will soon lose that excess weight
and be able to move more quickly to
make a tackle.”
Carbs Are Key
Football is a stop-and-go sport with
short bursts of intense effort followed
by rest. Therefore, the primary fuel for
football is carbohydrate. Yet many players don’t get nearly enough carbohydrates. I’ve found the typical football
player consumes a diet that is 43 per-

cent carbohydrate, 40 percent fat, and
17 percent protein. Most recently, with
the low-carb phenomenon, players are
eating even fewer carbs.
The biggest problem is that most
football players eat too much fat. If
their weight is fine, most don’t think
much about what they eat as long as the
food is enjoyable. The problem is that
fat does not supply the fuel needed to
build muscles. It can also cause stomach
cramping and indigestion.
An ideal diet for football players
derives 55 to 60 percent of its daily
caloric intake from carbohydrates, 15
percent from protein, and 30 percent
from fat. The way I translate these numbers to football players is that each meal
should be two-thirds carbs and onethird protein, with an eye toward moderate fat. Each meal should look like a
peace sign, with one-third of the plate
as protein (red meat, poultry, fish, eggs,
cheese, milk, yogurt, dried beans, nuts,
soy products), one-third as a starch
(rice, pasta, potato) and one-third as
fruits and vegetables.

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Circle No. 119

32

COACHING MANAGEMENT

NUTRITION

I emphasize carbohydrate-containing foods with lower fat content: bagels
over doughnuts, mashed potatoes over
fries, grilled chicken over fried, frozen
yogurt over ice cream. I explain that
raising the amount of carbohydrate in
their diet will provide them with more
available energy during practices and
games. And eating fewer fried foods
often decreases the chance of an upset
stomach that can hinder performance.
In many cases, it’s the lifestyle of
high school and college-age athletes
that wreaks havoc on their diets. To
combat this, I provide some simple suggestions for trading their empty-calorie
foods for performance-enhancing ones.
Replace a cupcake with a piece of fruit.
Forego the chicken wings for a piece of
grilled fish. Snack on nuts instead of
cheese curls (but do put them in a small
bowl to avoid overeating).
Alcohol consumption can be another problem in football players’ diets.
When I talk to athletes about this, I simply present the facts. Alcohol can slow
reaction time, increase the risk of dehy-

dration, cause an upset stomach, and
delay recovery if consumed prior to
replenishing fluid and carbohydrates.
I also talk to players about postgame
snacks. Many have heard that they need
to consume a protein-carbohydrate mix
for best recovery, but they’re unclear on
what this means. So I give them specific
food choices to ensure that they are getting the right proportions—which is six
grams of protein and 35 grams of carbohydrates. Suggestions include peanut
butter crackers, trail mix, yogurt with
cereal, a bagel with cream cheese or
peanut butter, or a sports bar containing the right mix of protein and carbs. I
also explain that this snack should be
consumed within 30 minutes after practice or a game for optimal benefit.
Two-A-Day Time
The most grueling and intensive
training for football players takes place
during preseason two-a-day practices. At
this point, calorie needs may exceed
10,000 a day per player. Getting enough
carbohydrates is key for optimal perfor-

mance and recovery. Hydration is critical for both performance and warding
off heat-related illness.
My recommendation is that football
players begin working on hydration and
fueling one month prior to training
camp. Just like players need to get their
muscles in shape for two-a-days, they
also need to get their digestive tract in
shape one month before training camp.
This will help the body adjust more
quickly to the demands of preseason,
which will minimize injuries and maximize performance.
To accomplish this, athletes should
schedule beverages with every meal, as
well as before, during, and after exercise. They should also practice drinking
larger volumes before and during exercise—gulps instead of sips.
In addition, athletes should get into
the habit of regular eating, by having
three meals a day plus a snack pre- and
post-exercise. Have them aim to dedicate
two-thirds of the plate to carbohydrates,
and choose foods with higher water content such as fruits and vegetables.

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Circle No. 120
COACHING MANAGEMENT

33

NUTRITION

Once two-a-days start, players should
consume at least three meals per day
with snacks in between. Skipping breakfast is not an option, especially when a
player has an early morning practice or
lifting session. For the athlete who is not
overly hungry in the morning, a smoothie, yogurt, cereal and fruit, or even a
sports drink and sports bar can be a
lighter alternative.
Adequate caloric intake is very important. Supporting a large, hard-exercising
body can mean consuming a lot of food.
That is okay. Players should not be trying
to lose weight during this time.
Carbohydrates must be the main
fuel source. Players will not recover in
time for the next practice unless they
consume enough carbohydrate and

How do you make sure fluid intake is
adequate? Begin by stressing the importance of drinking. Players should start
their day with 16 ounces of fluid and
make it a point to drink at every meal
and before, during, and after practices.
Explain that drinking fluids not only
prevents heat-related illnesses but also
helps them sustain performance. When
practice is grueling, being fully hydrated will help them get through it.
Here are some specifics for them to
follow:
■ Drink 16 ounces of a sports drink one
hour before exercise, as it takes one hour
for one liter of fluid to leave the gut.
■ Drink 20 to 40 ounces of fluid (sports
drink/water) per hour of practice.
■ Drink 24 ounces of fluid (based on

PREGAME MEAL MAKEOVER
How do you turn a traditional pregame meal into something to enhance your
players’ game performance? Consider this meal makeover:
INSTEAD OF:

SERVE:

Big T-bone steaks

Filet or chicken

Prime rib

Flank steak

Tater tots or French fries

Oven-baked wedges/mashed potatoes

Fettuccine alfredo

Pasta marinara with parmesan cheese

Brownies/ice cream

Soft serve or parfaits

Milk/juice

Low-fat milk/sports drinks

Biscuits

Rolls

Whole pieces of fruit

Cut up fruit

watch their protein intake. Excess protein will be stored as fat and may dehydrate the body.
Sodium intake may need to be
increased, especially for athletes with
abnormally salty perspiration, to prevent
cramping. “Salty sweaters” typically feel
gritty or have white residue on their skin
or uniform after exercise. Ask these players about their sodium intake, encourage sports drink consumption in addition
to water, and recommend adding salt
and condiments, such as Worcestershire
or soy sauce, to foods on their plate.
For the training camp rookie, it is
important to remind him to eat and
drink, even when he would rather nap.
In addition, try to push a little more
food at every meal.
34

COACHING MANAGEMENT

recent studies) for every pound of body
weight lost during exercise, immediately post exercise.
■ During practice, coaches must implement scheduled fluid breaks and make
sure every athlete stops to rehydrate.
Ideally, players should weigh themselves before and after practice and
drink enough fluid to replace the lost
weight. That is, 150 percent of the lost
water weight should be consumed. For
example, a player who loses five pounds
(80 ounces) during a practice would
need to drink 120 ounces of fluid to
replace the water weight loss.
Are sports drinks better than water?
During two-a-days, sports drinks most
likely provide an edge over water. Sports
drinks provide necessary fluid, fuel, and

electrolytes during exercise, so they provide a great package deal.
Gametime Meals
Pregame meals have long been a
bonding tradition for many football
teams, but they should also be thought of
as an important fueling component
before a game. The best strategy is to
choose lower-fat foods. Fats take longer
to digest, so high-fat meals can leave the
athlete with a full, heavy stomach and not
enough energy to perform at his best.
For example, when planning pregame breakfast meals, minimize higher
fat items such as fried meats, fried potatoes, bacon, and sausage in favor of
leaner proteins and carbohydrates such
as bread, cereal, and toast. For afternoon pregame meals, choose grilled,
baked, or broiled meats, tomato instead
of cream sauce, low-fat milk, and baked
or boiled instead of fried potatoes.
I always encourage my players to
stick with foods familiar to them for
pregame meals. Experimenting with
the way certain foods sit in the body
should be done during the off-season.
Some examples of good pregame
meals include:
■ Turkey or ham subs, fruit salad,
frozen yogurt
■ Eggs, waffles, ham, fruit
■ Pasta with red meat sauce, grilled
chicken, salad, and fruit
■ Smoothie, cereal, fruit
■ For those who want steak, offer 8ounce cuts with plenty of carbohydrates
on the side
■ For beverages, serve sports drinks,
juices, and water.
Postgame meals are also an important time for some teams. However,
before the team sits down for the meal,
they should begin refueling with fluids
and carbohydrates immediately following the contest, in the form of sports
drinks, pretzels, sports bars, or fruit.
The postgame meal may have a higherfat option, such as fried chicken, steak,
or a cheesesteak hoagie. This is usually
the hungriest time for the players, especially those who don’t eat much before
games. Some good options include:
■ Steak kebabs and rice
■ Salmon, green beans, and corn
■ Roast beef, mashed potatoes, and
salad
■ Hamburgers, grilled chicken sandwiches, fries, and juice.

NUTRITION

Weight Issues
If players need to lose or gain weight,
they should not try to do so during the
season. The focus of preseason and inseason training is to get ready for
upcoming games. Attempting to lose or
gain weight during this time takes energy away from in-season preparation.
Losing or gaining weight should be a
long-term project, takeing place over
six months. Meet with players looking
to change body composition during the
off-season to set realistic goals, and, if
possible, connect those players with a
sports nutritionist who can help them
develop a nutrition plan.
It is essential to understand a playerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s
on-field goals before altering his diet. If a
player needs to lose weight, focus on losing weight to move more quickly. If a
player needs to gain weight, focus on
gaining weight to be stronger.
Some tips for weight loss in football
players:
â&#x2013; Do not restrict carbs.
â&#x2013; Do not skip meals, but do decrease
portion size. (It is usually not the pasta

that is the problem, but the size of the
portion!) A little off the top at each meal
works very well. For example, eat 12
chicken wings instead of 24, drink a 12ounce glass of juice instead of 20, or eat
a 12-ounce steak instead of a 24-ouncer.
â&#x2013; Trim calories by cutting down on
condiments and snacks.
â&#x2013; Many find it easier to lose weight by
eating smaller, more frequent meals that
are more evenly divided throughout the
day, instead of three meals a day.
â&#x2013; Decrease calories from beverages
by diluting juices, choosing diet soda or
iced tea, and using smaller glasses.
â&#x2013; Include filling foods such as protein
and food that need more chewing: vegetables, baked potato, meat, fruits.
â&#x2013; When eating fast food, choose regular instead of super-sized meals.
â&#x2013; Put snacks into a bowl instead of
sitting down with the whole bag.
For the player desiring to gain weight,
the most important point is to be consistent, eating more calories every day.
Some tips:
â&#x2013; Start a meal with food, not liquids, so

have the sandwich first, then the shake.
â&#x2013; Replace low- or no-calorie beverages with juice, lemonade, milk, and
replace water with sports drinks.
â&#x2013; Try to eat one-quarter more at
every meal and snack.
â&#x2013; Keep snacks around to nibble on.
â&#x2013; Add higher calorie foods to every
meal: granola instead of sugared cereal.
â&#x2013; Add nuts to cereal or snacks.
â&#x2013; Eat bagels instead of bread.
â&#x2013; Add more protein, but only four
ounces more a day, through food, not
supplements. Choose cheese, low-fat
lunch meats, an extra piece of chicken
or fish, milk, and yogurt.
To make the most of football playersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;
talents, encourage them to make nutrition a priority. Explain how nutritional
suggestions lead to success on the field,
and they will soon be analyzing their
meals as diligently as they analyze game
film! â&#x2013;
A version of this article previously appeared in
Coaching Managementâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sister publication,
Training & Conditioning.

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heyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re a staple of almost every
teamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s practice routine. But
it can be easy to overlook the
opportunities presented by
warmup periods. Rather than
simply being a time for players
to do some calisthenics and loosen up,
this chunk of precious practice time
can be used as an integral part of an
effective strength program.

When a matter of inches means a difference of six points,
players need all the flexibility and core strength they can
muster. Consider using these partner core stretches during
warmup sessions to reach every goal.

Recently, we were asked to create
a series of exercises for a high school
football team that could be accomplished during warmup and would
make the most effective use of that
limited time. In response, we created
a group of core training partner exercises that can be done on the field with
limited supervision.
The focus of the exercises is on

strengthening the core, a key area for
football players. A strong core enables
both mobility and stability of the body
and helps prevent injuries and muscle
imbalance. Because core training is so
important for football players, it must be
continued throughout the season. Making these exercises a consistent part of the
warmup maintains core strength through
the very last game of the season.

Gray Cook is Clinic Director, Heath Hylton is Clinic Coordinator, and David Lee is Exercise Physiologist at Orthopedic & Sports Physical Therapy,
Dunn, Cook, and Associates, in Danville, Va. Cook is also the author of Athletic Body in Balance, published by Human Kinetics.
A special thanks to the Pittsylvania County (Va.) high school coaches for their continual support of and feedback on our programs.

COACHING MANAGEMENT

39

STRENGTH TRAINING

It was also critical to design exercises based on functional movement
patterns, not isolated muscle training. Football players will sometimes
be skeptical about exercises that don’t
involve weights, so it is important to
explain to them that simply becoming
stronger will not yield a better movement pattern. They must develop a
combination of strength, stability,
joint mobility, and muscular flexibility, which happens through functional
drills.
Why are core training partner exercises an effective use of time? First of all,
by making them part of the warmup, we
accomplish two goals at once. Often,
time is wasted during the warmup as
players loosen up and get ready for
practice in a haphazard way. But this is
valuable time that can contribute to the
overall development of the athlete. This
program gives structure and meaning
to the first 10 to 15 minutes of on-field
warmup activity.

They are also time-efficient because
they use a partner system, which occupies all individuals on the field. While
half of the players are doing the exercise, the other half are learning more
about the exercise by helping their
partner. This reduces distractions and
cuts down on the level of supervision
needed, as coaches only need to watch
half the number of athletes performing
a specific move.
Partnering also provides a necessary
break for the individual not performing
the exercise. This is not to say that the
other player is completely inactive. It
is an active rest period where he must
watch, participate, and pay close attention to detail.
It is important for the non-stretching
player to take an active role by supporting his active teammate and providing
full attention and effort when supplying
resistance. As a partner, he essentially
assumes the role of assistant coach and
should always be looking for opportu-

nities to provide feedback and technique modification. You should make
it clear to the players that if a bad set is
observed, it is the fault of the partner
as much as the exercising athlete. It
is important that both individuals feel
ownership of the drill even though one
will be working his muscles harder.
In the following text, we describe several exercises that we developed for this
program—all of which can be performed
at varying degrees of difficulty. They are
based on what we call the Functional
Movement Screen™ and focus on movement patterns like the squat, hurdle step,
lunge, push-up, and active straight-leg
raise. These are the movements we feel
help athletes most effectively elongate
muscles and activate the core.
One thing to note is the importance of matching players with partners
of equal size, strength, and flexibility.
This creates a fair level of competition
and provides more consistent feedback
between partners.

A) DEEP SQUAT SHOULDER STRETCH

A

Purpose: To improve deep squat and shoulder mobility movement patterns.
Instructions: The deep squat shoulder stretch incorporates the mobility maneuver
needed in the lower extremities to execute a deep squat with the heels flat. Since
athletes have varying degrees of ability with a full deep squat, the partner stands
with one leg supporting the low back and buttocks region and encourages the
squatting athlete to lean forward as much as possible and then to erect the spine
in an upright tall spine position. This will engage the core.
Once a complete deep squat has been executed, the squatting athlete is cued
to press the knees outward using his elbows to create an adductor stretch. He
is told to hold the knees in this position and maintain this abducted position of
the hips while reaching upward, first with the right arm and then with the left.
The partner gives an upward pull or traction stretch and the athlete performing
the stretch is encouraged not to let the knee cave in on the side of the stretching arm.
Note: The arm is not pulled backward. It is pulled upward, thus creating a safe
shoulder stretch for the lats and pecs.

B

B) HIP LIFT WITH PLYO LEG RAISE
Purpose: To improve hurdle step and active straight-leg raise movement patterns.
Instructions: The first athlete lies on his back with his head between the feet of
his partner and holds the lower ankle and heel on each side. The athlete on the
ground performs a bridge by lifting his buttocks with the knees in a 90 degree
flexed position. He then extends one leg and lifts it in a straight-leg position coming backward toward the standing partner. As soon as the leg reaches its full
range of motion, the partner pushes the leg downward in a brisk, shoving motion
with one arm. The athlete slows down the lower extremity, changes direction,
and brings it back upward again. This is done on each side. While performing this
exercise, the athlete on the ground is instructed to maintain a hip lift position and
not lose hip extension during the leg cycle lift activity.

40

COACHING MANAGEMENT

Circle No. 125

STRENGTH TRAINING

C) HALF-KNEELING ROTATION MOBILITY AND STABILITY

C

Purpose: To improve lunge, rotary stability, and shoulder mobility movement
patterns.
Instructions: Both athletes get into a half-kneeling position with the left knee up.
One person puts his arms in a “T” position with shoulders abducted 90 degrees.
The partner then performs a mobility assist by rotating the first person’s shoulders
left and right to 90 degrees while the athlete is instructed not to allow any rotation
at the hips or pelvis. They are cued to stay as tall as possible and keep the hip of
the back leg extended as much as possible throughout the stretch. The sequence is
reversed and the other partner then performs the same stretch. Once both athletes
have stretched in a left and right direction, the knee position is reversed.
Next, the athletes get into a push-hands position in the center of their bodies and
execute an isometric rotation into each other while stabilizing their hip and shoulder
position and keeping the spine as tall as possible. They are told to push as hard
as possible without losing balance and then to perform the same movement with the
opposite hands. The half-kneeling position is then switched to the opposite knee.

D) STABILITY STRIDE
Purpose: To improve hurdle step and trunk stability push-up movement patterns.
Instructions: The athletes assume a wheelbarrow position where one athlete is in
the push-up position and the other holds the partner’s ankles at the level of his
hips with a slight knee bend. The supporting athlete can take a stride position to
narrow his base and allow for easy cycling action of the legs. The athlete in pushup position cycles each leg, one at a time, toward his chest and back. He must
maintain a flat back and a stable core with a head-up position and tuck the right
hip as the supporter releases the ankle of the right leg. The athlete is instructed
to bring his hip as close to his chest as possible followed by extending it back to
the start position and quickly pulling the left leg into the same position.

D

The goal is smooth, quick leg speed while maintaining a stable trunk. The supporter is encouraged to use quick hand action to alternate supporting each leg
as the active athlete goes through this stride position.
Modifications: The athlete exercising can widen or narrow his hand position
to change the level of difficulty or go to a prone-on-elbows position to reduce
upper-body stress.

E) PLANK POSITION CRUNCH

E

Purpose: To improve trunk stability and push-up shoulder mobility movement
patterns. This exercise serves to demonstrate to athletes that the spine has both
stabilizing and mobilizing roles. The muscles of the spine can either hold the
trunk stable or create a curl or twist action.
Instructions: . One athlete assumes a push-up position (plank position) with the
other athlete lying across his back perpendicularly. The athlete on top is instructed to do crunches in the same fashion he would do over a stability ball (full flexion and extension).
Modifications: The athlete in the support position holding his push-up position
can modify his position if he becomes weak by going to a quadruped position.

F

F) EXTENSION PRESS
Purpose: To improve rotary stability and shoulder mobility movement patterns.
Instructions: One athlete sits with his arms supporting him from behind and lifts
the legs so that the supporting athlete can hold both the ankles in a quarter-squat
position. The athlete on the ground is instructed to press the hips upward until the
spine is as straight as possible and to keep the chest up and shoulders back.
Modifications: The athlete doing the press can go to an “on elbows” position to
reduce arm and shoulder stress.

42

COACHING MANAGEMENT

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Purpose: To improve rotary stability, shoulder mobility, and trunk stability push-up
movement patterns.
Instructions: The athlete performing the exercise assumes a side-lying position on the elbow with the forearm flat and palm down. The partner assumes a
quarter-squat position holding the ankles. The athlete on the ground is instructed to elevate the hips up and through until an erect and straight spine can be
observed. This move is performed both on the left and right sides.
Modifications: The athlete doing the side bend can stabilize with the top arm by
gripping the wrist on the ground. This will reduce the natural shoulder twist that
occurs with the move.

H

H) TRUNK STABILITY SHOULDER PRESS
Purpose: To improve stability push-up, rotary stability, shoulder mobility, and
deep squat movement patterns. This also provides a double quadriceps stretch
for the partner.
Instructions: One athlete holds a push-up position while his partner places that
athleteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ankles on his shoulders while in a tall kneeling position. The supporting
athlete keeps the hips as far forward as possible, getting a slight anterior thigh
stretch, and then performs a shoulder press holding the ankles of the athlete in
push-up position. The athlete in push-up position is instructed to keep a straight
and erect spine throughout the entire movement. â&#x2013;

A version of this article previously appeared in Coaching Managementâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sister publication, Training & Conditioning. For more information on
the Functional Movement Screenâ&#x201E;˘, go to our Web site at: www.AthleticSearch.com and type â&#x20AC;&#x153;weak linksâ&#x20AC;? in the search window.

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44

COACHING MANAGEMENT

Athleticbid.com

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